impressions of ladakh

We meet in the frenetic capital of New Delhi, for an initial group dinner before catching a morning flight to Leh, the main city in Ladakh. Much of the rest of the day is free for you to acclimatise to the altitude, and explore.

Leh has a distinctly Tibetan feel, and there are a number of monuments to explore, including the Leh Palace, which resembles the Potala Palace in Lhasa, and the Tsemo Gompa.

On our second day in Leh, we explore some of the sights and get a feeling of this magical place.

Although we tend to think in terms of sights, it is often the journeys that are equally as impressive. By using our own transport, we are able to stop to photograph views and any notable things we pass on our journeys. This includes the valley where the Indus and Zanskar rivers join, and the incredible Lunar landscape near Lamayuru.

For the next few days we drive to some of the more notable monasteries and towns in the region before returning to Leh. We will pass through stunning scenery and visit a number of places, including the atmospheric Lamayuru Monastery, the Spituk Gompa and the Stok Palace Museum.

After over-nighting in Leh, we drive to the famous Hemis Gompa, via a Royal Palace and the monks of the Thiksey Gompa. We spend a night camped in Hemis, where we can enjoy stunning views of the surrounding are, and the following day explore the monastery, with it's famous museum, packed with Buddhist artifacts.

From Hemis we head out on the legendary Leh-Manali highway. This is one of the highest motorable roads in the world and we cross a number of high passes, including the 17,585 ft Lachangla Pass. To me, this a man-made wonders, cutting through some of the most spectacular scenery in the country. It needs permenant maintenace from snowfall and landslides, and travelling it is an adventure.

We detour from the Highway to the remote Tso Moriri Lake - the largest in the region, and rare bird and mammal life can sometimes be seen here. Our visit is timed for the Korzok Gustor festival, where will should witness many pilgrims and monks carrying out their traditional masked dancing.

This is a fantastic opportunity to see a traditional festival, and as we are camping at the lake we will be able to truly soak up the atmosphere of this festival, the monastery and also the haunting beauty of this lake.

After the festival we continue along the Leh-Manali Highway to Manali,over nighting in Serchu. When we arrive at Manali in Himachal Pradesh we spend a welcome two nights at a comfortable hotel!

Manali is a pretty town, with a different feel to Leh, set in a deep valley amidst picturesque apple orchards. We have a whole day to explore it's alpine charm.

On our penultimate day we drive down to Delhi: an interesting drive through changing scenery until we arrive in time for a final group meal and a night in a hotel before the tour ends.